Short message service (SMS) or text messaging is made available to mobile users as a peer-to-peer or peer-to-application message delivery service. Subscribers of any given cellular network can send SMS messages to a subscriber of any cellular network, in general, or to Internet Protocol (IP) applications under special agreements. For a mobile-oriented to wireline number destined SMS message, there is no guarantee that a short message service center (SMSC) of the originating wireless network will pass the message to an inter-carrier SMS gateway (ICSG) operator for further processing. The short message service center of the wireless network can drop the SMS message destined for a wireline telephone. In cases where the wireless carriers follow best efforts and forward these messages to the ICSG operator, the operator may drop the SMS message when it checks for a valid number for the destination address. Currently, inter-carrier SMS gateway operators do not have a destination identified for wireline numbers for terminating SMS messages.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary telecommunications network 100 configured for conventional SMS message communications. As shown, there are three wireless networks, wireless network 102, wireless network 104, and wireless network 106. Wireless network 102 includes mobile switching centers 108a and 108b. To provide SMS messaging capabilities, a short message service center 110 is also included in the wireless network 102. As understood in the art, a home location register (HLR) 112 is included in the wireless network 102 to enable mobile switching centers 108 and short message service center 110 to look up address locations of mobile telephones 114a and 114b using mobile directory numbers (MDNS).
An SMS message or text message may be delivered from an origination mobile telephone 114a to a destination mobile telephone 114b by the user of the origination mobile telephone 114a preparing and sending an SMS message to a mobile directory number of the destination mobile telephone 114b in the form of data packets 116. The data packets 116 are communicated over a communication link 118 to mobile switching center 108a. The mobile switching center 108a determines that it has received an SMS message and communicates the message to the short message service center 110 via communication link 118b. In one embodiment, the communication link 118b utilizes a mobile application part (MAP) or IS-41 communications protocol to communicate between the MSC 108a and SMSC 110. The SMSC 110 looks up the location of the destination mobile telephone 114b in the home location register 112 of the destination mobile telephone 114b and communicates the SMS message to the MSC 108b serving the destination mobile telephone 114b. In the case of the destination mobile telephone 114b being turned off, the MSC 110 stores the SMS message and forwards the SMS message to a serving MSC when the destination mobile telephone 114b turns on at a later time.
If the destination address or mobile directory number is not recognized as a mobile directory number serviced by a wireless carrier that services the wireless network 102, then the SMS message is routed via a communications link 120 to an ICSG 122. In one embodiment, the communications link 120 utilizes a short message peer-to-peer protocol (SMPP). The ICSG 122 determines how to handle the SMS message by determining the SMS destination telephone number. Based on the SMS destination telephone number, the ICSG 122 determines the operating company number (OCN) of the wireless carrier serving the destination mobile telephone. If the destination telephone number is in a ported block, the ICSG 122 queries a local number portability (LNP) database 124 to determine the associated local routing number (LRN) and uses it to determine the OCN. If the OCN belongs to a carrier partner of the ICSG 122, then the message is appropriately routed via a communications link 126a to that carrier's SMSC 128. The SMSC 128 communicates the SMS message via communications link 126b to MSC 130. As understood, the MSC 130 queries the home location register 132 to determine the location of a destination mobile telephone 134 and communicates the SMS message over communications link 126c. 
If the OCN does not belong to a carrier-partner of the ICSG 122, then the SMS message is communicated over communications link 135 to ICSG 136, which is a partner of the recipient's wireless carrier. The ICSG 136 determines the operating company and routes the SMS message to the OCN via a communications network 138a to the wireless carrier's SMSC 140 for further processing. The SMSC 140 stores the SMS message and notifies MSC 142 currently serving destination mobile telephone 146 that the SMS message is available. The MSC 142, in response to querying a home location register 144 serving the wireless network 106, downloads the SMS message and sends it to the destination mobile telephone 146 for display to the user via communications link 138c. 
Communications of SMS messages between wireless networks, as provided above, operates fairly efficiently for a number of reasons. First, wireless carriers have agreements to share SMS messages between wireless networks. Second, wireless carriers use equipment that is configured to handle SMS messages in a common manner. Third, wireless devices that are in communication with wireless networks use the same communications standards that support SMS messages.
While wireless carriers have agreements and use communications equipment to seamlessly communicate SMS messages between mobile telephones and other wireless communications devices of subscribers among the different wireless networks, SMS message communications between wireless networks and wireline networks is generally not possible. FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary conventional telecommunications network 200 including both a wireless carrier 202 and wireline carrier 204. To illustrate sending an SMS message from an origination mobile telephone 206 to a wireline telephone 208, a user of the origination mobile telephone 206 may send an SMS message to a telephone number of the wireline telephone 208. The mobile switching center 210 currently serving the mobile telephone 206 receives the SMS message and routes the SMS message to a short message service center 212. Because the SMS message is addressed to a mobile directory number not recognized by the wireless carrier 202, the SMSC 212 may either drop the SMS message or route it to the ICSG 214. Because SMS message communications are originator pay services, some wireless carriers choose to drop messages destined to non-wireless numbers. Interpreting a telephone number as being non-wireless is not well-defined. Typically, the telephone number to which the SMS message is destined is queried in a local exchange routing guide (LERG) (not shown, but typically located on a network (e.g., the Internet)), and determined as not being directed to a valid wireless telephone number. In the case of the SMS message being routed to the ICSG 214, the ICSG 214 determines the OCN associated with the destination telephone number, in this case the wireline carrier 204, so the ICSG 214 generally drops the SMS message as there is typically not an agreement between the wireless carrier 202 and wireline carrier 204 to communicate SMS message therebetween.
An alternative configuration that has been used is that the SMSC 212 determines that the SMS message is destined for a wireline telephone and converts the text message into a synthesized voice recording for communication to the wireline telephones. In response to the synthesized voice message being communicated to the wireline telephone, a text message is delivered to the origination mobile telephone 206 for notification that a synthesized voice message was delivered to the destination wireline telephone 208. However, the original intent of the user of the mobile telephone 206 is defeated in that the text message, in a text format, is not delivered to the wireline telephone 208.